Drum construction



Oct; 95 1934' I AfE. RICE ET AL 975,975

D RUM CONSTRUCTION Original Filed June 29, 1931 Patented Oct. 9, 1934 units!) STATES PATENT OFFECE 1,975,975 DRUM CONSTRUCTION Allen Erwin Rice, Palos Verdes, and John Shelby Morgan, Jr., Inglewood, Calif., assignors-to The National Supply Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio 7 Claims. (01. 242-117) This invention relates'to drum constructions and more particularly to a drum construction as utilized in hoisting apparatus, particularly of the type known as 'rotarydrawworks as uti- -lized in the rotary process of drilling oil, gas or like .Wells.

This invention is addressed to an improvement in structures as shown and disclosed by the patent issued to Edward Timbs, No. 1,670,600 issued May 22, 1928 for Two-piece drum for rotary drawworks. This application is a divi-' sion of our co-pending application, Serial No. 547,588 filed June 29,- 1931, for Single shaft gear drive drawworks, which is now Patent No. 1,944,463, granted Jan; 23, 1934. p

In the construction of hoisting apparatus, particularly of the type known as rotary drawworks, the increasing demands of the industry as occasioned by greater depth of wells and a required speed of drilling operations has made essential the construction of new and improved forms of drums of relatively large spooling area and of a construction suflicient to withstand the great loads which are imposed upon such drums through the cable wound thereon.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved form of drum structure for a hoisting apparatus as used in the drilling of wells which is constructed in a manner to provide for increased strength and rigidity and which is constructed so as to provide for additional resistance to the spreading action imposed upon such drum structure against the flanges thereof by the loads imposed upon the cable and transmitted to said flanges.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hoisting drum assembly for a rotary drawworks which is adapted to be rotatably mounted upon a shaft and which structure includes a spacing and aligning sleeve member which is spaced from the shaft and connected with the opposed flange members of the drum construction within which the supporting bearings are mounted so as to define with the spooling portion of the drum an enclosed chamber between the end flanges of the drum.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drum structure which is formed of a twopiece construction, each of which sections includes a portion of the spooling portion of the drum, and an integral flange connected at its outer end and a connecting sleeve connected between the end flanges and spaced inwardly of the spooling portions of the two part structure of the 'drum so as to provide for a reinforcement between the two drum halves to pre vent deflection of the drum halves at the point where the said halves are'connected together. Other objects and advantages of this invention it is believed will be apparent'from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure l'is a side elevation partially in vertical mid-section of a rotary drawworks of the type disclosed in our co-pending application, Serial No. 547,588, and including a hoisting drum embodying our invention.

In the preferred embodiment of our invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, 1 indicates a shaft which is rotatably supported in bearings 2 mounted in the supporting structure 3 composed of spaced posts. A hoisting drum 4 is rotatably supported with relation to and upon the shaft 1 and spaced supporting bearings 5. The hoisting drum 4 is adapted to be driven with the shaft 1, or from the shaft 1, at a multiplicity of speeds, and in order to provide for a direct drive, a clutch mechanism 6 is provided. The drum 4 can be driven from the shaft 1 at differential speeds by means of a planetary type of differential 7. The particular means of driving the drum 4 from the shaft 1 as herein illustrated form no part in this invention but are the subject of my copending' application above referred to, and it is not intended that the specific illustrations and manner of driving the drum 4 directly from or at a differential speed with reference to the shaft 1 should form any limitation to our present invention. It is obvious that many and diverse forms of drive might be provided.

The hoisting drum 4 embodying our present invention includes a pair of similar half sections 8 and 9, each of which includes a portion of the spooling section 10 of the hoisting drum 4 and is provided at its outer end with an integral flange 11 which extends annularly outward from the spooling portion 10 to define end flanges for confining the cable which is wound upon the hoisting drum 4 and also to provide supports for the annular brake rims 12 which are secured to the flanges 7 in any suitable or desirable manner as illustrated at 13. The flanges 11 likewise extend integrally inward into the interior of the drum 4 and are formed to provide bearing recesses 14 in which the bearings 5 which support the drum 4 on the shaft 1 are mounted. The

ends of the flanges 11 project axially inward from the bearing chambers and are connected within the structure of the drum by means of a connecting sleeve 15 which is welded at an annular weld 16 to :the 11 topre'vent spreading of the half portionsof the drum' structure, The sleeve 15 not only provides a reinforcing. con-. nection between the half portions of the drum 4, but likewise provides a sleeve for aligning the two half portions so that they are maintained. in accurate alignment when connected.

Spaced radially around thehalf'sections 8and." 9 of the drum 4 are reinforcing webs ll which 5 extend between the inwardly projecting portions of the flanges 11 and the inner periphery of the spooling portion 10 of the drum and terminate,- at inwardly projecting flanges :18 :at the meeting: ends of the halves 8 and 9 of the drum 4x1; 3..2? In order to connect the halves 8 ,and 9. .to-.. gether, a connection ring 19, whichis spaced from the sleeve 15by means pipspokes 19,- is preferably provided formed with a; rim;;20. which projects into the spaceformed between the, ends of the flanges 18, and the-assembly. of .the two, half portions I, 8 ,and 9 of the ririlrn, I 4; 1 the connecting ring 19 are,welded'-together .at an; annular weld 21 connecting,v the two flanges .and the rim 20. With the construct ion- .thus provided, the center of the spooling portion of the, drum is rigidly supported by the ,-i nner;- sleeve--15 through the I connecting ring 19, thereby relieving the welded Iconnection 21,.from bending stresses which would otherwise be. transmitted to the welded joint in the .absence- --o f the sup porting and connecting ring-Q19.

I In order to retainthe bearings within the chambers 14 and likewise .to provide for the axial adjustment of the-bearings 5 with relation to the shaft 1, the inner race of the bearings 5 are held in position by means -of; rings 22 threaded to the shaft 1 andlooked in position by means of lock rings 23, likewise threaded to the,

The clutch member 24 and thegear member :25 providing the driving connections between the shaft 1 and the directconnected clutch 6 and the planetary drive z nechanism ;'7 are preferably bolted or otherwise directly securedto the inwardly projecting portion of the flange 11 and project inwardly to the shaftl in a manner o.

house and enclose the supporting bearings 5 to} prevent foreign matter from being introduced into the bearings 5. Thus .the bearings 5 are housed and enclosed within the chambers ,14 defined by the inwardly and longitudinally projecting portions of the flanges l1 and a downwardly projecting portion of the members 24 and 25 by means of which the drum 4 connected in driving relation with the shaft 1. I

Having fully described our invention, it is to be understood that we do not wish to be limitedto the details herein set forth, but ourinvention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a hoisting drum assembly, the combination of a shaft, a drum rotatably supported by bearings on said shaft, said drum including a spooling portion, a pair of end flanges within which said bearings are mounted, said flanges. supporting the spooling portion of the drum, an aligning sleeve member spaced from the shaft and positioned. within the enclosure defined by the spooling portion and connecting said end flanges, and spacer means positioned between the end flanges within the enclosure defined by the sleeve member and the spooling portion of the drum to reinforce the drum between the end flanges.

2. In a hoisting drum assembly, the combination ef a' sliaftfadrum' rbtatably supported by bearings -onsaid shaft, said drum including a spooling portion, a pair of end flanges within which said bearings are mounted, said flanges supporting the spooling portion of the drum, an aligning-sleeve member spaced from the shaft and positioned within the enclosure defined by the-"spooling portion and connecting said end flanges; and reinforcing means supported by said sleeye memberfor bracing the spooling portion of the drum between the end flanges.

3.-'Inra.?hoisting'dr.um assembly, the combination of-Fa "shaft; 'a drum rotatably supported by hearings on" said shaft, said drum including two,spool sections, each section including substantially one half of the drum and having a flange portion and-:a spooling portion, an aligning sleeve .member, spaced fromv the shaft and positioned-within theenclosure defined by the spooling portions and connecting the flange portion of thetwo :sections together, means between the sleeve member and the spooling portionsfonbracing the latter intermediately of the ene mrt qn 4. In ,a hoisting ,drum assembly, the combination of,a-shaft, .-a rotatably supported by bearings on said shaft, said-drum including two spool sections, each section including substantiallyone half of the drum and having a flange portion and a; spooling n r-tion; an laligning sleeve member spaced from-the shaft and .positioned within .the enclosure defined by the spoolingpor-tions and-connecting the flange portions of the two sections together, separate means for securing-thespool sections together, means between ;the sleeve member and the spooling portions for bracing the latter intermediately of the fiange portions.

,5. .I n a hoisting apparatus of the class described, the, combination -of a shaft, a drum mounted on the shaft, the drum including two separately-formed sections each including a portion of thespooling section and an end flange, means ,,c onnect ing the portions of the spooling section -together, and a sleeve positioned within the spoolingsection and connected to the end flanges .of separately formed sections.

6. In a hoisting apparatus, a drum including a pair of separately formed sections each including-a portion of the spooling section of the drum and an endflange which projects inwardly between the portions of the spooling section.

7. In a hoisting apparatus, a drum including a'pair of sections, each of which includes a portion of the spooling section of the drum and an end flange which projects inwardly and outwardly, a reinforcing rim welded to the ends of the portions of the spooling section, and a sleeve mounted within the spooling section and welded to theflanges to secure the sections of the drum together.

ALLEN ERWIN RICE.

JOHN SHELBY MORGAN, JR.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,975,975. October 9, 1934-.

ALLEN ERWIN RICE, ET AL.

It is hereby certified that the above numbered patent was erroneously issued to "The National Supply Company, of Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio," whereas said patent should have been issued to The National Superior Company, of Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware, as assignee by mesne assignments of the entire interest in said invention, as shown by the records of assignments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correc' tion therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 13th day of November, A. D. 1934.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner oi Patents- 

